Author: Jennifer Kerns

California State Senator Gil Cedillo (along with the California
Latino Legislative Caucus) proposed a Resolution on Wednesday that would force
California to boycott the state of Arizona in light of that state’s tough
crackdown on illegal immigrants.

I could be wrong, but wasn’t that last month’s story? Seems to me our
buddy Gil Cedillo is a day late and a few pesos short of a sound idea.

To be sure, this is right up Cedillo’s alley. He is, after all, the State
Senator who has continued pushing for Driver’s Licenses for illegal
immigrants. But calling for a boycott against one of our fellow
southwestern states and trying to strip them of the 2011 All-Star MLB
game seems silly at this point when there are so many other pressing
matters facing OUR State.

As campaigns were busy heading
into their final GOTV weekend on Friday, the ever-vigilant watchdogs –
Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association (HJTA) and California Pension
Reform – were winning another one for the gipper.

HJTA and CA Pension Reform struck pay dirt on Friday in the battle
against out-of-control pensions, as a Judge ordered the Orange County
Employee Retirement System (OCERS) to turn over public records
detailing lavish government employee pensions. As a result, the O.C.
retirement system must release the names, gross pension amounts (and
believe me, they are gross), and the last employing agency from which
the worker retired.

HJTA’s crack attorney Tim Bittle represented Marcia Fritz in the case.
Many know Marcia from her tireless work on behalf of Taxpayers to shed
light on California’s runaway pension crisis over the past year.

You may not have felt it, but the earth shifted this week while
candidates up and down the state were busy with their final push toward
Election Day.

The epicenter of that shift?  L.A.

The Republican Party of Los Angeles County (RPLAC) scored a major
victory this week as a Judge ruled in the organization’s favor –
throwing out a frivolous lawsuit brought by a wily group of Ron Paul
activists that claimed they had legal rights to run the Party, even
though they handily lost their Board elections last year.

California has long been known as a pioneer state willing to forge ahead in new ventures, technology, ideas and entertainment.

But if the Legislature thinks that one state acting alone can singlehandedly solve global warming, they are California Dreamin’.

A new report from the non-partisan Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) happens to agree with our tune.

I noticed during the recent healthcare debate, as with many political
debates, when Democrats run out of things to argue about they often
issue their ultimate insult: "Republicans are the party of ‘No.’"

They say that like it’s a bad thing.

What they fail to understand is that in politics – as in life – there is value in saying, "No."

Yesterday marked the 1-year Anniversary of the Tea Parties heard ‘round the world.

As the Event Director at two of the largest Tea Parties in the United States televised on FOX News, I am often asked, “What is the future of the Tea Party movement?”

My fellow Californians, I can tell you this: The state of the Tea Party is strong, and it is here to stay.

During “Tax Day” yesterday, one only needed to walk over to the steps of the Capitol to witness thousands of people fed up with their government. In California, of all places – the most Liberal state in the union. Thousands strong, this crowd didn’t exist two years ago. They certainly didn’t exist in 2005 when Governor Schwarzenegger was trying to change the system. Just imagine if they had.

In fact, if you’ve never actually attended a Tea Party in person and have only seen them on MSNBC, you might be of the opinion that they’re all a hostile, angry bunch. Think again.

It was shocking enough late last week to hear that the California Chamber of Commerce pulled their TV ad off the air after a complaint from Jerry Brown.

More shocking still in the new Ad they’ve put up in its place.

The new Ad, which began running over the weekend, is a completely neutered ad which tells you to “Get the facts and decide for yourself” in the California gubernatorial race.

CalChamber still doesn’t get it. Voters want to know that business leaders in Sacramento are in tune with what’s happening on the ground, and they are thirsting more than ever for trustworthy leaders who can provide straight talk and trusted recommendations on who should lead the future of our state.

Yesterday, Capitol Weekly broke the news that the California Chamber of Commerce pulled its critical TV ad of Jerry Brown after receiving complaints from Brown, his wife, and their friends.

Last time I checked, we were in the midst of an Election Season. And the last time I checked, Elections were occasions when people actually took sides based upon their convictions.

The truth is, that ad was the most refreshing thing to come out of the Chamber in years. It was a tough yet entirely fair analysis of Brown. Widely known as the Godfather of the public employee pension crisis that is now destroying the state of California and the instigator of the global warming silliness that will literally kill our economy, there has never been a Governor more out-of-touch with businesses and taxpayers than Jerry Brown. By pulling the ad, Cal Chamber threw a damp cloth on what could have been the most virile effort to take down the one threat that stands in the way of a new generation in California.

In the words of L.L. Cool J.: Don’t call it a comeback.

Not yet, anyway.

A front-page article in Sunday’s Sacramento Bee suggests that even among signs that the national economy is improving slightly, California faces an uphill climb.

The article, titled “California Comeback Faces Global Competition,” details the many challenges facing California businesses, both small and large.

For starters, the state continues to lag behind in critical areas:

– Business owners still face the harshest regulations among any of the 50 states. They face absolutely zero incentive to grow their businesses – or worse, to simply keep their businesses in California. The article points out whether it’s a small startup business in Davis, California or a large employer like Intel, companies are practically begging for the slightest shred of evidence as to why they should remain in California.

– Workers comp insurance rates are still 20% higher than most states in the nation;